Roche Among Top 20 Largest Public Companies

Swiss pharmaceutical company Roche Holding is in 19th position of Morgan Stanley Capital International Perspective's annual ranking of the world's 100 largest public companies based on the companies' market value. Roche moves up from 23rd position last year, and is the highest placed pharmaceutical company in the ranking with a market value of $40.4 billion.

Behind Roche in 20th place is the US Chemical and pharmaceutical company Du Pont; it has climbed from 24th position last year and has a market value of $40.2 billion. The USA's leading drug company, Merck & Co, is three places behind Roche in 24th position with a market value of $37.1 billion. Merck has slipped from 18th position a year ago. In between Du Pont and Merck in 21st place is the nonmover Procter & Gamble. Its market value is slightly over $38 billion.

Johnson & Johnson of the USA is ranked 38th, the same position as last year, and has a market value of $30.2 billion. Plummeting from 26th position in 1993 to 48th this year is the USA's Bristol-Myers Squibb. Its market value is $27.3 billion, according to MSCIP. Another decliner is Glaxo of the UK, down to 49th position from 41 in 1993, with a market value of $26.6 billion.